Jahvin Carter (2) scored 40 points, and the Alcoa Tornadoes outlasted the Ripley Tigers, 69-64, in overtime of a Class 2A state semifinal Friday, March 15, 2024, at MTSU’s Murphy Center in Murfreesboro, Tenn. (Photo by Danny Parker).
BY JESSE SMITHEY
MURFREESBORO — When it comes to Jahvin Carter, you can just sense that he has a job-is-not-finished mentality this week at the Class 2A state tournament.
Case in point: Alcoa had just won a 69-64 overtime thriller Friday night in the state semifinals against Ripley, and he had just dropped 40 point in the win.
Still, the 2024 Class 2A Mr. Basketball winner calmly walked off the court as if the Tornadoes had won some ho-hum of a regular-season contest.
A year ago, he and Alcoa celebrated like mad when they advanced.
This time around, they’re the defending state champions and know their upcoming rematch with Douglass (35-0) will be a monster one.
“Just stay level-headed. Still one more game. It’s a big game. But just stay level-headed and be ready,” said Carter. “We’re going to prepare and watch film and come ready tomorrow.”
Carter’s layup in the final seconds lifted Alcoa to the 2023 Class 2A championship over Douglass.
The Tornadoes (25-13) will run it back against the Red Devils at 4 p.m. Central time at MTSU’s Murphy Center.
Douglass eliminated Whites Creek 67-39 on Friday to reach the title game for a third time in program history. They finished runner-up in 2018 and 2023. The Red Devils have had revenge on their minds all season for last year’s loss to Alcoa, and Alcoa realizes that.
“Something we’ve talked about since Christmas. I love that the rematch has happened, as well. That’s what our kids want. Our kids are excited for the opportunity,” Alcoa coach Ryan Collins said. “But, again, the past is the past. I don’t care who’s the champion last year. They don’t care who’s the champion last year.
“We’re going to lineup, and we’re both contenders. They’re extremely well coached. They have our full attention. Schematically, in those eight days of (state tournament) prep, we’ve thrown some stuff out there to try and get ready for them, in hoping we’d have the opportunity. End all, be all, it’s going to be another fun battle. And what more could you want for your high school experience — to lineup with the best, who’re undefeated in the state and who are hungry, to get one and see where we end up?”
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HOW ALCOA WON AGAINST RIPLEY
Getting back to the title game wasn’t all that simple Friday for Alcoa.
Despite 32 points on 12-for-20 shooting by Carter through three quarters, Alcoa led Ripley just 51-48 with eight minutes to play.
And Ripley led 58-56 late when Carter got to the foul line with 2:35 left. He made both to tie the game. He went 10-for-12 at the foul line Friday and was 14 of 26 from the floor.
No one scored the final 2:35, though.
That same 58-58 score occupied the scoreboard heading into overtime, as Carter’s running 3 from the left wing didn’t fall before the buzzer. Eli Owen’s steal on a Ripley possession with less than a minute to play in the fourth had given Alcoa the final possession. But the Tornadoes weren’t able to cook up a quality look for a bucket.
In overtime, Ripley managed a couple of easy entry passes into the post for a 62-60 lead halfway through the extra period.
Carter got an isolation opportunity against his defender and tied the game with a slash in from the left side at the 1:56 mark in OT.
And then Jamir Dean, the high-flying freshman whose blown dunk in the second half altered Alcoa’s momentum, made amends. He got a steal on the ensuing possession and raced to the other end, scoring on a layup and drawing a foul.
He made the free throw, and his three-point play gave Alcoa a 65-62 lead with 1:14 left in overtime.
“It made me feel a lot better,” Dean said of the game-deciding play. “We were in a tough situation. I just had to do what I had to do. Turns out, I got the steal and the and-1.’
After Ripley turned the ball over on the other end, Alcoa junior guard Eli Graf sank two free throws with 22.5 left to clinch it.
“That’s who Eli Graf is,” Collins said. “He’s just straight up a winner.
“And you saw that in those plays in big-time moments.”
SETTING THE FINAL STAGE
Carter scored 22 points in the first half on 9-for-14 shooting and led Alcoa to a 38-28 halftime advantage.
Ripley held momentum first, knocking down its first four shots — including two 3s — to take an early 10-4 lead.
Alcoa rallied back, thanks to free-throw shooting. The Tornadoes made 8 of 10 at the line in the first quarter to stay close.
Carter’s 3 at the 2:29 mark in the first quarter broke a 12-all tie and pushed Alcoa out front. Graf sank a corner 3 at the first-quarter buzzer, and the Tornadoes took a 21-16 in the second.
Carter opened the second quarter with a deep three and a three-point play, and Alcoa built a 27-16 lead with 6:33 remaining before the break.
His steal and score in transition made it 31-19 at the 5:02 mark of the second.
But K.J. Love popped in a 3, and Carter cooked a defender and scored at the rim to make the lead stand at 10 (38-28) with a half to play.
Ripley opened the second half on an 8-2 run, and Alcoa’s buffer had dwindled to 40-36 by the 4:35 mark of the third.
Carter’s three-point play 21 seconds later moved the Alcoa lead back up to seven.
After Ripley trimmed Alcoa’s lead to 46-42 with 2:15 left in the third, Carter responded with a deft baseline 10-foot jumper.
The Tigers, again, got to within four, Carter converted a three-point play with 1:13 to play in the quarter for a 51-44 lead.
It’s a pattern he had to continue to the end — and even into overtime.
“Jahvin was phonomal tonight, especially offensively,” Collins said. “There were a lot of possessions where he absolutely just put us on his back. I want to credit our other kids. Our other kids know who it needs to go to in those spots and executed schemes to get him space.
“But, at the end of the day, a lot of the times we weren’t running anything. We were just trying to put him in space and let the best player on the floor go make a play.”